Loïc Chetout for the win

At this time tomorrow, Naturgas Energía rider Loïc Chetout might well have grabbed the biggest win of his life.

The speedy Frenchman is lying third overall going into the final and deciding Copa de España race in Legazpi, Gipuzkoa, tomorrow: the Clásica Santa Cruz/Santikutz Klasika.

Coluer's elite rider Airán Fernández took over the leader's jersey two days ago (having accumulated 568 points), but only leads Caja Rural's Fernando Grijalba and Chetout by five and 17 points respectively.

Not far behind is Pablo Lechuga of Cajamar in fourth on 542, and Ibai Salas of Caja Rural in fifth on 541 points. Number six on the list, Gipuzkoa-Eki Sport's Júlen Mitxelena, on 519 points, shouldn't be discarded either.

With the fight for the overall crown serving as a backdrop, the 80th edition of the race promises to be quite a thriller. The route takes in 141,5 kilometres and seven ascents: Aztiria (to be climbed twice), Liernia (also to be climbed twice), Eizaga, Atagoiti and the infamous Descarga, to be climbed with only six clicks to go.

The racing kicks off at 9:15 AM, and the winner should be known by 13:00.

The winner of the last two editions of the race, Eduard Prades, will not be present this time around.

Naturgas Energía will send both Chetout and Imanol Estévez, though, marking them out as one of the teams to watch.

Line-up:
Karl Baudron, Loïc Chetout, Imanol Estévez, Alain González, Víctor Etxeberría, Francisco Javier Martín and Álvaro Trueba.